Whatever Will Be, Will Be
by bandofthieves2
Summary: "A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it." -Jean de La Fontaine.
1. Denial

Author's Note: This is my first time venturing into Twilight fanfiction. I love Bella/wolf pairings, and I hope you do as well.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it! If I did, I wouldn't be a struggling college student, that's for sure. Anything you recognize belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

Bella POV

I am so tired—tired of being bitter, tired of being angry, tired of feeling empty. The trouble is I don't know how to stop. I can't think of _them_—of_ him_. I can hardly breathe, because everything sparks a memory that more than anything I wish I could forget.

I know I'm hurting everyone. Myself, Charlie, Renee, Phil, Angela—but most importantly I know I'm hurting Jake. I guess he had enough of me, and he decided to leave me too. I can understand it—but I don't understand why he had to promise that he would never hurt me like _he_ did, and then go and break it.

If he wanted to leave me too, Jake should've made it so he never existed. Yet my truck is sitting in the driveway right now, a constant reminder of Jake and his love of cars, his rebuilding of my truck, and all the times in his garage where he started to put me back together again. Well, if he thinks he can get away with leaving me alone, he's got another thing coming. I might be broken, and I might be scarred, but dammit I'm getting answers from someone. Last time he blew me off in the rain—ignoring the fact that he was killing me inside. He had changed—cut his hair and got a tattoo, grown and gained muscle. But deep down, I know he is still my Jacob. I wasn't going to leave this time. I wasn't going to let him or Sam and his lackeys scare me off or intimidate me. I may be a shell of my former self, but that just left me with a lot of anger—and it's about time I stood up to someone.

Grabbing my raincoat and keys, I hurry down the steps, not bothering to leave a note for Charlie, because I know he's working late on cases involving the animal attacks in the woods. Rushing through the morning dew, somehow managing not to slip and fall, I open the squeaking door and take solace in the dry cab.

Starting my truck up and hearing the loud grumble, I notice I can breathe a little lighter than I had been. I'm going to see Jake, and everything will be okay. Because when it comes down to it, Jake can't leave me. He would've done so a long time ago, rather than spending all of his time trying to fix me. He wouldn't put in effort and then give it all up—right?

It took me thirty minutes to get to La Push. I sometimes wish that my truck was faster and could manage to get above 55mph, but this morning I didn't mind. I needed time to get my thoughts together, and to keep this sudden burst of adrenaline and determination flowing through my veins.

Pulling into the Black's driveway, I took a deep breath. I saw the curtains move, and knew someone was inside. I wasn't going to be ignored. Getting out of the truck, I slammed the door, conveying my anger and determination right off of the bat. There was no use sidestepping around. I miss my best friend.

I kept my head down, concentrating on the gravel crunching beneath my worn Converses. Before I knew it, I was climbing the porch.

Out of character, I ignored Billy's pleasantries and attempts to get me to leave. Pushing inside against his wishes, I made my way straight back to Jake's bedroom, ignoring Billy's calls. Opening the door, I saw my best friend in bed on his stomach, looking so much like the sixteen year old he is, as he peacefully slept.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing as I look at Jake. I have told him before he's sort of beautiful, and that hasn't changed. Now though, it's a masculine beauty—he has to be over six feet tall and nothing but bulky muscle. He was even bigger than he was the last time I'd seen him, and that was saying something.

Whooping and hollering tore me out of my Jacob trance, and I glanced out of his window to see Sam and his lackeys stepping out of the woods behind the Black's home. I didn't know which was which, other than Sam, but I didn't really care. They all looked the same anyway—intimidating tall, muscular, dark-skinned. I didn't care to know who was who. I just wanted my Jacob back.

Looking back down at Jake in the bed, in a split second I made up my mind.

Tearing out of the back door, ignoring Billy's calls and pleas, I kept my gaze locked on Sam Uley across the Black's expansive back yard. I didn't know who he thought he was, all I know is that he's the cause of all of this. Jake said he's the leader of the cult, or gang, and he was the one who was going to give me answers. He just didn't know it yet.

"What did you do?" I screamed, all of the anger, frustration, and hurt of the last few weeks, and if I'm telling the truth, since _they_ left, boiling out of me.

"What did we do? What did you do?" I heard one of Sam's henchmen snarl from his side. I ignored him, continuing to stare dead into the eyes of Sam Uley, as I came to stand in front of him. I vaguely noticed his shaking, but my adrenaline was pumping too strongly to feel fear. He was staring into my eyes as well, obviously battling himself for control, and biting his tongue from saying something he shouldn't.

"He didn't want this!" I yelled at Sam, clenching and unclenching my fists to try to control my anger.

"What did he tell you?" One of the lackeys snarled again. I didn't tear my eyes away from Sam, getting frustrated by his lack of answers. He can control his gang members but can't speak for himself?

"He told me nothing! He's afraid of you!" I shouted, beyond fed up with this whole situation. I've never felt more like I wanted to be back in Phoenix—like I never should've moved here in the first place.

Laughter tore me out of my self-pity and stare down with Sam momentarily. I glanced to his right, into the eyes of a meaner looking version of him. As I made eye contact, his look began to soften, but I didn't care. The laughter really rubbed me the wrong way, and I hauled back and slapped him with all of the might my body held. I barely registered the pain surging through my right hand, as I watched the lackey in front of me go through a multitude of emotions—confusion, awe, passion, lust, and some others I couldn't decipher, before I saw anger overtake them all.

"Paul, calm down. Get back, Bella," Sam ordered us both. The other lackeys looked nervous and scared, but I couldn't figure out why.

The lackey I slapped shook furiously enough that he was almost a blur, before he transformed into a massive wolf, just like the ones in the meadow.

I couldn't feel anything but fear. I knew I should be feeling confusion, but right now it didn't matter. The flight or fight response kicked in, and turning around, I sprinted back to the Black's house—as fast as my clumsy body allowed me.

Seeing Jake tear out of the house and jump the rail, I feared for his safety. "Jake! Run!"

I didn't even notice that the wolf behind me hadn't chased after me, or wanted to hurt me, but instead just stood there.

I watched as Jake ran toward me, and I pumped my legs faster to try and meet him. Eventually my clumsiness took over, and I slipped and fell on the dew covered grass. I watched in fascination and fear as Jake turned into a giant wolf and sailed over my head.

Picking up my body into a crab-like stance, I began to shuffle backwards clumsily, trying to get away from the giant wolves. I didn't understand why the one wasn't attacking, but then Jake howled and took off after him at full speed.

"Shit!" I heard Sam yell, before barking orders to his lackeys. Two of them began making their way toward me, as Sam stripped off his shorts and turned into a wolf as well—the largest one yet.

"Come on Bella," one of Sam's lackeys demanded more than asked, holding a hand in front of my face.

"What-?"

"We'll explain. Come on. Sam told us to take you to Emily's," The other one explained.

I reached up and put my shaky hand in the offered one, letting him pull me up with surprising ease. Though really, that shouldn't be the most surprising moment of the last few minutes.

"I'm Jared," the one holding my hand said, making sure I was stable on my feet before he let me go. "And that's Embry, but I think you've met him."

"Embry? No way," I whispered, turning my gaze from Jared's to his.

"Long time no see Bella," Embry grinned. "I guess the wolf's out of the bag."

"I guess so," I nodded, wanting to be so angry with the boy in front of me for leaving Jake, but still not able to believe it was the same one who I'd spent time with in Jake's garage.

"Let's get you to Emily's. Paul's going to want to see you when he gets there," Jared interrupted my thoughts about Embry.

"Why Paul?" I asked, following them back to my truck. Why would the guy I just slapped care about seeing me?

"Ah, I meant Jake," Jared amended, but I didn't miss the glare and look that passed between him and Embry.

Ignoring it for the moment, I began to process everything that had happened in the last few minutes.

"Who's Emily?"

"Sam's fiancée," Embry explained, reaching the truck and opening the passenger door for me. I slid in, giving him a silent nod in thanks.

"Is Jake going to be okay?" I asked, quickly moving from one question to the other.

"Yeah. It's Paul I'd worry about. Five bucks says Little Alpha tears him a new one," Jared laughed from the driver's seat.

Embry grinned leaning forward between our seats through the open window from the bed of the truck. "I agree. Jake's going to rip him a new one."

"What are you guys talking about? Little Alpha? Jake hurting Paul?" I was so confused, and all I wanted were answers.

"I think you should wait for the others to explain," Embry told me, glancing at Jared who almost inconspicuously nodded his head in agreement.

We reached a tiny cottage, almost hidden in the woods. "Whatever you do, don't stare. Sam doesn't like it," Jared told me, before getting out of the truck. I almost jumped when Embry opened my door, but tried to get my nerves under control.

"Come on, let's go in. It smells like Emily is baking," Embry grinned at me, before gesturing for me to walk in front of him. Jared let out some kind of wolf-call, opening the door of the cottage. I stepped into the home after him, immediately feeling warm and comfortable—not because of the temperature, as it was quite cool inside, but because of the homely feel inside the cottage.

"Who's this?" A gorgeous woman asked, wiping her hands on a towel as she appeared from the other side of the counter, in front of the oven. I noticed the scars running up one side of her face, and realized that those must be what Jared told me not to stare at. Surprisingly, they didn't take away from her beauty, but I quickly tore my gaze away.

"Bella Swan, who else?" Embry answered with humor in his voice.

"So you're the vampire girl?" Emily asked me.

I tensed, but tried not to let it phase me. "Not anymore. So you're the wolf girl?" It hurt to detach myself from _them_, but I was not going to be a coward here.

She laughed, "Yeah I guess I am. Or I'm engaged to one at least."

Jared and Embry had collapsed into seats at the round kitchen table, and I was still standing awkwardly to the side of the doorway. Emily sat a bowl of large muffins on the table, slapping away Jared's hand as he reached for one. "Ladies first," she gestured for me to sit down.

I collapsed into a chair, and reached for a muffin. I might be confused and not have answers, but I had built up a large appetite. I noticed as I reached for the muffins that my hand was quickly turning black and blue. I wasn't the only one.

"Shit," Embry swore under his breath, reaching out and grasping my hand lightly. "I don't think anything is broken, but it doesn't look good. Emily, could you get Bella some ice?"

"Oh no," I interrupted, pulling my hand back from Embry. "That's not necessary—I don't want to be a bother."

"You're not a bother Bella," Jared spoke around a mouthful of muffin.

I wanted to protest, but Emily had already reached my side with ice wrapped in a towel. "Ouch," she murmured sympathetically. "What happened?"

"She slapped Paul," Embry chuckled, likely replaying the memory.

Emily gasped in horror. "Oh goodness!" I assumed she was imagining the worse, but I didn't understand why. It's not like Paul, the name of the lackey I was learning I slapped, tried to attack me or anything.

"That's not the half of it," Sam frowned as he walked in the door, before he looked up at Emily and his entire expression changed. He looked like his entire world was standing in front of him, as he went to pull her in his arms and kiss her. "Bella," Sam nodded when he pulled away. "I take it you've gotten acquainted with Jared, Embry, and Emily?"

"Yes," I nodded, not at all feeling comfortable or pleased with this man, but still feeling grateful for him saving my life _that_ night in the woods.

"Good," Sam nodded, settling down at the table when Emily went back to the kitchen. He grabbed a muffin, and immediately began scarfing it down. He glanced at me picking at mine with one hand, and then looked at my other hand sitting on the table with ice.

"Damn," He swore. "You laid a good one on Paul. That's going to hurt him," he nodded to my hand.

I didn't understand why my hurt hand would hurt him, so I just nodded. I was about to ask where Jake was, and I guess Paul as well, when the two made their way into the door, both looking extremely pissed off at the other.

"Bella, we're leaving," Jake demanded when he crossed the threshold into the house, coming right over to me. I heard a snarl from the other body that just walked in, but ignored it when I saw the intense and furious expression in Jake's stance and gaze. He grabbed my arm, growling when he saw my hand covered in ice.

I didn't have any objections. I had questions and I needed answers, and I honestly only felt comfortable with Jake at the moment, no matter how kind Jared, Embry, and Emily had been. I immediately stood up, grabbing the ice with my good hand to hold to my bad one.

"Bella, you do not have to leave," a voice spoke in a low and firm tone, clearly trying to keep his feelings under control.

I looked to the sound of the voice, and saw it was Paul, the one I had slapped.

I didn't understand his gaze—it was furious when looking at Jake, but soft when he glanced at me. It was clear he didn't know who to look at or what emotion he should allow to take over.

"Yes, she does," Jake growled, pulling me behind him, still holding on to my arm. He was blocking three quarters of my body from Paul.

They were having a stare down, and though I didn't understand what had happened, I could only assume they had already fought. I didn't want them to again.

"Jake, take me to your house please," I murmured softly, but loud enough that the others in the room could hear it.

I didn't miss the look that crossed Paul's face. It was a mix between heartbreak, hurt, and immense anger. I only hoped Jake would be able to give me an answer about that.

Paul looked like he didn't know whether to let us go out the door or not, when Sam's voice broke the stare down. "Paul. Let them go," Sam spoke with a timbre to his voice I had yet to hear.

Paul let out almost a painful moan, before stomping down the hallway and out of sight.

Jake didn't even look at me or the others before pulling me behind him and out the door. "We're leaving," he informed me harshly.

"Goodbye," I mumbled to the others, not wanting to be impolite, but knowing that I needed to be with Jake right now. I needed answers, but a part of me was torn. I wondered if I wouldn't have better luck getting them inside.

Please leave me a review! I have most of the story written/planned, so as soon as they are edited and checked over, they'll be up! Reviews help motivate me =)


	2. Anger

**Author's Note: I don't even know where to begin. I think I'm speechless. I am completely overwhelmed by the support you guys have shown for the first chapter of my first ever Twilight fanfiction. No fandom has ever been this welcoming, and the positive response was amazing. Thank you to each and every person who reviewed, who read the chapter, and all of you who added me or the story to your alerts, or added the story to your favorites. I cannot believe it. Thank you. Please leave another review! **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own it. Everything belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I just like to play around.**

Paul POV

I had so many thoughts rushing through my head at one time that I couldn't even figure them out. I had to get my shit together before I punched a hole in the wall of Sam and Emily's guest room.

More than anything I know that right now I'm feeling anger. Anger at Jake for thinking he owns what the fates have deemed mine. Thinking we can fight it out, he can assert his rightful Alpha title, and I'd just back off. He knows what this is—it's the real deal.

I'm angry at the fates. How could they think my life partner was a leech-lover? How could they hurt Jake like that? Even though I am beyond pissed off at him at the moment, I don't want to hurt one of my brother's. Not like this.

I'm pissed at the Cullens. If those stupid leeches never moved here in the first place, or moved back, none of this bullshit would ever be happening to begin with. I gasped at the pain that shot through my chest when I thought that, and collapsed to my knees, my hand splayed overtop my heart as if it would soothe the pain. As much as I don't want to, I can't hate that this happened. I can't hate her.

I'm confused. I don't understand how with one look, my entire being has changed. I'm still easily pissed, as seen with Jake, but after she slapped me, I didn't want to attack her. I wanted to fix whatever I did to make her angry in the first place. How can everything change so drastically?

Then, if I'm being honest, I think I'm sad. Sad that she'll never feel the same for me, and I'm probably stuck with the searing pain in my chest for all eternity, and I'll have to watch her in another man's arms. Or a leech's. I struggled to breathe. Good god, I need to stop thinking these things, all it's doing is causing me pain.

I heard Bella's voice outside the window, breaking through the fog of my brain and pain in my heart. I couldn't help but growl when I stood up and looked out the window. Jake was dragging her away from the house rather forcefully, placing her in her truck and slamming the door with enough force that it probably wouldn't open and close right again.

Anger was the dominant emotion, and I stared to shake. When I saw Jake start the truck and back out of the driveway, I exited the room quickly.

"What the hell Sam?" I roared, coming into the dining area.

Sam jerked up, along with Jared at his flank. Emily was safe in the kitchen, and Embry was watching attentively, but stayed seated eating probably his fifth muffin.

"Paul," Sam spoke in a warning.

I ignored it.

"How could you let him leave with her?"

"I-."

"He's a new wolf Sam!" I wasn't stopping to hear anything my Alpha had to say.

"Pa-."

"He's angry! He could hurt her!"

"Jake would never hurt Bella, Paul," Sam assured me.

Fed up, I went for the jugular. "Just like you'd never hurt Emily, huh Sam?"

I found myself on the ground, my jaw aching from a powerful right hook, as my Alpha stood over me in a symbol of dominance.

"Paul, I'll let you off the hook for that, this once. I know what happened makes us crazy at first, and I know you're worried about Bella. But you will never disrespect my imprint or me again in our home. Understood?"

I was still angry, but I knew when I was wrong. I nodded.

Sam looked deep into my eyes, and he must've seen something he agreed with. Reaching down, he offered me a hand up. I took it, and knew things were okay.

"I'm sorry Sam, Emily. That was uncalled for," I apologized.

"Holy shit," Jared said, sitting when he realized the threat was over. "Did Paul just apologize?"

"Thank the imprint," Emily grinned, already over the whole fiasco. My entire body froze. It was the first time the word was spoken out loud after it happened, and the first time it was even acknowledged by any of us.

"I don't want it," I grumbled, plopping into a seat. I then moaned as I grasped at my chest with both hands.

"Easy," Sam sat next to me, patting my back. "You can't go against the imprint Paul. It just isn't possible."

I gritted my teeth together, trying to focus through the haze of pain.

"It's the best thing that could possibly happen to you Paul," Jared told me with a faraway look in his eyes, probably thinking of Kim. I assumed it was supposed to offer some sort of comfort, but it didn't.

"I know," I ground out, still trying to get past the pain in my chest. "I don't want to fight the imprint. I think I accepted it as soon as it happened."

"Then what's the problem?" Embry asked, clueless.

"What isn't?" I let out a humorless laugh. "The Cullens, Jake, Bella herself?"

"Our ancestors don't mess up Paul. Everything happens for a reason. You are the one she needs most in this world, and she's the one you need the most," Sam told me. I know what imprinting is, thanks buddy.

"She won't accept it Sam," I mumbled embarrassingly. I didn't want to care this much. I didn't want it to bother me that this was the truth.

"Maybe, maybe not," He agreed. "But you will be there for her in whatever way she wants you."

"She will want you Paul," Emily cut in. "Maybe just as a friend, as painful as that is. But she won't be able to avoid the imprint either."

"But what about Jake?" I asked my Alpha, in a tone so unsure that I was even questioning who I was.

Sam sighed, knowing this was probably going to cause some tension in the pack, until Jake could accept what happened. "Jake will do what's right. He's tied to this pack and the reservation more than any of us. He knows what's right. He also knows that no one in the pack gets in the way of a brother and his imprint."

"I hope you're right," Embry muttered. "Jake really loves that girl. He has ever since he was four."

I couldn't do anything but clench my fists and growl, my wolf screaming _mine_.

Bella POV

The silence in the car was loud, as the tension grew. I don't understand what is going on, except that Jake and his friends turn into giant werewolves. Jake is pissed, and I don't really know why. My hand is throbbing, because I hit a guy I don't know in Jake's honor.

I risked a glance over, and all I saw were white knuckles, tightly gripping the steering wheel. I briefly wondered how he hadn't snapped it in two yet.

"Dammit!" Jake screamed, breaking the silence and making me jump. We had been driving for about ten minutes in complete silence, headed in the direction of his house.

Jake pulled the car over to the side of the road, and I could hear his deep intake of breaths, but didn't dare glance his way.

"How the hell could this happen?" Jake roared, slamming his hands down on the steering wheel. I heard the crack, and under other circumstances, I probably would have at least cracked a smile at the irony.

"Jake?" I whispered, scared of him for the first time in my life. "You're scaring me."

Those words seemed to penetrate through to his brain, and I watched as the anger seeped out of his body into defeat, right in front of my eyes.

"Bella," Jake moaned sadly, before shifting in the seat so he was facing me. "Oh Bells," he whispered, looking into my eyes, and I'm guessing seeing the fear in them.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart," He swore, reaching a hand out tentatively to cup my cheek. "I just keep hurting you. I keep breaking my promise."

"Jake, what the hell is going on?" I asked, finally getting my thoughts in order.

"I-." He began, before cutting himself off, clearly not knowing what to say. He dropped his hand back to his side, and began to stare down at it resting on the seat.

"Am a werewolf," I finished, nodding my head in affirmation.

"I'm sorry," He looked up quickly, apologizing earnestly.

"Why?" I asked.

"I'm a monster and I hurt you," He looked so torn up that I could help but slide toward him on the bench seat.

"Oh Jake. You could never be a monster," I promised, knowing with all of my heart it is true. "Leaving me for those weeks—yeah, it hurt. But I understand now. Well, no, I don't, but I think I will when you explain it all."

Jake looked hesitant.

"What is it?" I asked, curious as to what caused this sheepish look to appear on his face.

"I really shouldn't be the one to explain everything to you," He answered me, looking extremely broken up by this fact.

"Why not?" I asked. He was my best friend, who else would have more of a right to explain it than him. Sam?

"Is it Sam again? What power does he have over you?" I questioned angrily.

"No, it's not Sam," Jake jumped into protective mode. "He's our Alpha of the pack," He looked at me to see if he had to explain more, but I nodded that I understood. "What he says goes, and when he orders something, we can't ignore it—physically."

"That must suck," I apologized.

Jake shrugged. "It's not so bad. He doesn't abuse it."

"So if Sam isn't the one that has to tell me, why can't you?" I wanted so many answers and Jake wasn't supplying them.

"I think we should head back to Sam's," Jake spoke after a few minutes of silence. This surprised me, because it looked like the last thing in the universe he wanted to do, was head back to Sam's.

"Okay?" I half-confirmed, half-questioned. "But why?"

"I think it would be best if all the guys are there to explain it, and Emily can answer any questions you might have," Jake informed me, but I could tell it was only half truths.

"Why would Emily be of help?" I asked, but I didn't get an answer as Jake ignored me, started the truck, and made a U-turn.

Frustrated, I fell back into my seat, angry that Jake wasn't being helpful. I winced as we hit a pothole on the road, and my sore hand bounced.

"The ice not helping Bells?" Jake asked, and although I was angry, I couldn't help but be glad that my nickname was falling so easily off of his lips again.

I shook my head. "It hurts Jake."

"We'll get you some Advil at Sam's. See if that helps," He pledged, before falling silent for the rest of the ride.

The butterflies became apparent in my stomach, and I don't understand how I can feel so apprehensive about going back to Sam's, yet feel like it's exactly where I belong at the same time.

**Author's Note: As I said last chapter, I have most of the story written. I just need each chapter to be edited and checked over for errors, and then they'll go up! I'm shooting for every other day, but it's nearing finals for this college student, so I can't guarantee I'll stick to that. I actually am going out of town tomorrow through Saturday, but I hope to have the next chapter up for you sometime Sunday! ::crosses fingers:: Please leave a review—it'll only make me work harder and faster, and I am so thankful for each and every one!**


	3. Acceptance

**Author's Note: PLEASE READ. Well, hello. Do you remember me? I don't even know where to begin my apologies. It's been almost a year, and I can't believe it. I don't want to give you excuses, but I owe you an explanation. Last December, when I promised my next update (woah!), I had a death in the family. I was in my final year of college, finding an internship, looking at jobs, and completing finals. Everything combined sent me into a spiraling depression, that I couldn't drag myself out of. I knew what was happening, I knew how different I was, but I couldn't pull myself out. I couldn't admit anything was wrong, and I didn't want anyone to know. It took me months to get help, and by then I was graduating college, not finding a job in this economy, and applying to graduate school. The summer came and went, and I was finally myself again. Then graduate school started, and I was way over my head. I got into a really, really good school, but I began to question how that happened and what was going on. Now, I'm beyond stressed, don't have a moment to breathe in any of my days, and am not performing in school at the level I want to be. On top of all of that, somewhere in that time period my laptop literally caught on fire (no exaggeration) and I lost everything. Including my saved stories (far more than I've posted on here).**

**So what did I decide to do? Find what I love again. That's writing. I had this story idea nagging in my head, so I spent one night, and just wrote and wrote and wrote. I felt…I can't even describe it when I finished. I just know that I want to bottle up that feeling and keep it forever. So next thing you know, I had half of a story completed and I knew that I wanted to post again. Then I realized, how can I post a new story when I have left people hanging on two chapters of my old one? So I stayed up to a ridiculously late hour, and wrote some more for this one. It's so hard rewriting something you've written and lost, because you never feel like anything adds up to what you already did, and that it's dejavu and your creative juices don't flow the same. But, I'm one of those people who hate when a writer abandons a story, and I refuse to be one. So this story is getting written and will be finished. I can't promise it will be fast, as grad school is kicking my butt, but it will happen.**

**Along with that, I am posting the other story. It's called "Love Lockdown" and is also a Paul/Bella. It wasn't when I wrote it…it was original characters. But I wanted to make it for this fandom and for those people who had so much faith in me after two chapters, that I edited it to fit, and I think it works. It's hard doing two stories for the same pairing, but the only characters who would fit in my other one were Paul and Bella. I hope you take a chance on that one too, and read and review.**

**Thank you to everyone who is reading this and has stuck around. I promise that I will finish both of these stories for you, as timely as I can. I also promise that I'm shutting up now.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own it. Everything belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I just like to play around.**

Paul POV

I idly picked at a muffin, somehow not having my full appetite. I didn't know if it was a side effect of the imprint, or just Bella, but either way I didn't feel much like eating, which was a scary thought. My brothers quickly moved past the Bella and Jake topic, but I couldn't get her out of my mind. I didn't know how to even get near her, but Sam said we'd worry about it when Jake got back.

My ears perked up when I heard the heavy rumbling of Bella's old pickup, but I thought my mind was playing tricks on me—hearing what I so badly wanted to hear. Jake wouldn't have driven her truck back, he would've run. Besides, he was probably at her house loving up to her and poisoning her mind with how evil I am.

I couldn't help the growl I released, and Jared started laughing at me.

"Damn Paul, your imprint comes back and you're going to scare her off again?"

I was too busy processing his words to even get pissed that he was laughing at me. Bella's back? I'm not imagining the sounds of the truck? I wouldn't be surprised if I was going crazy—everything about this scenario is crazy.

I cocked my head, listening intently, and almost jumped out of my skin when I heard two car doors close and a hiss of pain.

"Bells?" I heard Jake question.

"Wrong hand," I heard the sweet voice respond.

"Oh Bells," Jake tried to hold in a chuckle. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Shut up and get me Advil," Bella grumbled.

I looked at Sam panicked, and saw that both he and my brothers were trying to hold in their grins. Douchebags.

"Sam?" I whispered, panicked. He just continued to grin at me.

"Sam!" I whisper-yelled. "What do I do?" Nerves were new for me. A foreign feeling.

Emily, seeing her imprint had no interest in saving my hide, took pity on me. "Just be yourself Paul," she told me softly. "Because that is exactly what Bella needs."

I heard the screen door open and close, and I started eating my muffin, trying to play it nonchalant.

"Jake?" Jared questioned, when he and Bella came into view. Surprisingly, he wasn't touching her. "Did you forget to drop someone off?"

Jake didn't even grin. He met my eyes and held me in a stare down. I saw something in my eyes that gave me a tiny sliver of hope—but I squashed it down. Surely Little Alpha isn't going to give up the girl of his dreams that easily.

_Mine_. My wolf growled inside of me, angered at the thought of Bella being the girl of Jake's dreams.

_Ours_. I told him.

I shifted my gaze from Jake to Bella, taking in her nervous and confused appearance. She looked like she wanted to bolt—like she felt she didn't belong here.

Oh, how wrong she is.

The silence in the room was building, as Jake didn't respond to Jared's joke. I saw Bella look at the floor, clearly embarrassed and not wanting to be the center of attention. I took the pass to let my gaze roam her body, trying to memorize every single part of her, just in case I never got to see her again.

I stifled a gasp as the pain stabbed through my chest, almost unbearably.

Letting my gaze continue my thorough inspection of her, my heart stopped as it came across her right hand, covered in a bag of ice. From what I could see under the ice, her hand was black and blue, and definitely did not look good.

"Your hand," I gasped through the pain. I hurt her. My imprint. Hurt. I hurt her. I hurt my imprint. Me. Hurt her.

Bella's gaze shot up to meet mine. "Yeah," She said quietly. Then, seeming to know what I needed, she made a joke, "Someone's hard-headed."

The house shook from the pack's roar of laughter. My lips twitched up into a half smile, but I couldn't remove my eyes from her hand.

"It's okay Paul," My girl told me, the tone of her voice forcing my eyes to meet hers. I saw nothing but sincerity in them. "I'm so sorry for hitting you. This is completely my fault. No one ever deserves to be hit, and you surely didn't."

She was apologizing to _me_? She practically broke her hand on my face because I got angry and smart with her, and she's apologizing to me? I don't think I've ever met someone more good-hearted.

"Bella," I whispered brokenly, sounding way less of the man I was. I shot a quick glare at Jared, warning him not to do open his mouth.

"Don't worry about it Paul," she told me. "If it wasn't your face, it would have been me walking into a wall."

Oh great, so she gets hurt easily? My heart can't take this. I started scanning the room surreptitiously, trying to find all the hazards. I could hear Jared laughing at me, but didn't want to stop my pursuit of all the dangers that could hurt me imprint. Strip me of my man card, I really don't care. The only thing I care about is standing ten feet in front of me.

"Emily," I spoke when I finished my scan of the house. "Do you have any Advil for Bella?"

Jake grunted, moving away from Bella and plopping into a chair at the table. He grabbed a muffin, and stuffed it into his mouth, ignoring the questioning look from Embry.

"Sure," Emily wiped her hands on a dish towel, heading toward the bathroom medicine cabinet to grab the pills needed.

Bella stood looking even more uncomfortable after Jake walked away, her face turning red from all of our eyes on her.

"Can I take a look at your hand?" I asked her quietly, hoping not to startle her, like you would a scared animal.

She nodded, before slowly making her way to the seat next to me. Sitting down, she lifted her hand onto the table, wincing in anger.

All of our eyes were looking at her hand, as I gently took the ice off. Gently? Maybe this imprint was exactly what we both needed. Screw Sam and his theory of it being for mating and bettering the pack. This is for us, and I'm going to do everything I can to ensure that the imprint works as planned.

My heart got stuck in my throat, and I tried desperately to swallow the lump in it.

"I think it's broken," I heard Sam tell Bella. It's hard to tell because everything we've had is healed within hours, and we hardly bruise or swell. With Bella's pale skin, the bruises and discoloring stood out gruesomely. The pain from hurting my imprint was threatening to swallow me whole, but I manned up and looked into her eyes for permission.

Meeting her gaze was like imprinting all over again. I shook myself out of my Bella-induced stupor, when I saw the slight nod and smile she gave me.

Having her permission, I gently grabbed her hand, barely stopping the shudder from overtaking my body. The electric shock from skin on skin was intense, and I suddenly found myself picturing us full skin-on-skin. No Paul, take care of her. Her needs come first.

I gently ran my thumb over the bones in her hand, cringing when I heard her cry of pain. Knowing in my gut that she's not a big baby, I confirmed Sam's diagnosis.

"He's right Bella," I confirmed sadly. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Paul, please stop apologizing," Bella begged. "The emergency room doctors know me by heart. This is nothing new."

I glanced at Jake, and saw him meet my gaze. I was close to begging, but I'd never do that. We seemed to read each other's thoughts and feelings in that brief second, and Jake gave an imperceptible nod. I couldn't believe it. This gave me a few more minutes with her before I potentially lost her forever.

"Bella, I know you have a lot of questions," I told her, watching her nod eagerly in affirmation. "But I think it's best if we hold off for a bit so that you can get your hand taken care of, and then we'll reconvene here."

Bella nodded grudgingly, clearly wanting answers about us wolves.

"I agree with Paul," Sam spoke up, clearly shocked to be uttering those words. "Pack meeting in two hours. That should give Bella plenty of time to get taken care of at Forks Hospital."

"Bella, if you don't mind," I began, thankful for my toasty temperature, otherwise sweat would be breaking out on my forehead from nerves. "I feel that the least I can do is escort you to the ER."

"Paul, you don't have to do that. I told you, no big deal," She assured me, looking to Jake.

"Bells, I gotta go help out my Dad for a bit. Have Paul drive you, it'll be okay. I'll see you in a couple of hours," Jake excused his self, forcing his body out the door like it took all of his strength to do so.

"Ok-ay," Bella drug out, clearly confused by Jake's abrupt departure. I almost wanted to thank Little Alpha. _Almost_.

"C'mon Swan," I stood up fast, making my chair fly across the floor. I shot an apologetic look to Sam, who only laughed at my zeal. "I'll answer whatever questions I can on the drive to the hospital."

"Sure, sure," She agreed easily, adopting Jake's signature phrase, making a growl form in my chest, too low for human hearing. She stood from her seat and squared her shoulders, looking at me sternly. "I'm-."

"No, I'm driving," I finished her sentence, freaking us both out. The shocked look on our faces must have been hilarious, if the guys' laughter was any indication.

Shaking my head and shooting them all a glare, I put my hand on her lower back, escorting her out of the house.

The shock that went through me when I made contact with her again surprised me, and I wasn't able to stifle the shudder this time. I don't remember Sam or Jared feeling like this when they touched their imprints. What was going on?

"What are you doing to me?" Bella murmured so low, that if I didn't have advanced hearing I never would have heard her.

I had no idea what we were doing to each other, but I couldn't repress my shit-eating grin as we made our way toward Bella's truck.

I was going to obey the speed limits for the first time in my life. With the Advil kicking in, her pain would be tolerable, and I wanted to spend every minute I could with her in the tiny cab of her truck.

**Please leave a review.**


	4. Bargaining

**Author's Note: I am overwhelmed by the warm welcome I received upon my comeback. Thank you all so very much. Thank you to each of you who read the story, thank you to those who left me a review, thank you who made this story a favorite, thank you to those who put it on alert, thank you to those who put me on alert—thank you thank you thank you!**

**I'm not one of those authors to demand reviews or a certain number of them, but with the surprising number of hits I received (honestly I was so shocked!), I'd love to receive some more reviews please! Let me know what you like and dislike.**

**Thanks to those of you who left me some really kind words. I appreciate it more than you know.**

**Some of you who have reviewed are noticing little hints (that may or may not be subtle, I can't tell!) about plot twists. This story won't be your typical imprint story—I hope to make it something different. I'm very excited for it. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own it. Everything belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I just like to play around.**

Bella POV

I sat rigidly in the passenger seat after Paul shut the door, trying to tame my blush. The feeling of one of his hands in mine and the other steadying me on my lower back, as he helped me climb into the passenger side of my truck, had my body on fire. The lightest of touches from him had my head going places it had never gone before. I don't know why he is having such a strong impact on me—all I know is that I have never felt anything like it before.

I resisted turning my head to stare at the attractive man getting into my usual seat. I watched out of my peripheral vision as he made quick work of adjusting the seats and mirrors to fit him as best as he could. It seems the seat didn't go back far enough to make his legs entirely comfortable.

With a grunt and a shake of his head that seemed to be aimed at my truck, which I didn't understand. We were off.

The cab of my truck is small—even smaller with Paul sitting next to me. Our legs are almost touching, and there is a seat between us. It wasn't like this when Jared was driving me to Emily's. I felt my face growing hot and my temperature skyrocketing, but I resisted the urge to unzip my coat. Paul is sitting next to me without a shirt and in jean cutoffs. I need all the other layers between us. He makes my body feel some unnatural things.

With him driving, I glance frequently at him out of the corner of my eye, examining his features. He's extremely good-looking, his hard features having a very calm and attractive quality to them. He has gorgeous russet skin and cropped black hair, styled into spikes, though I think that may be unintentional. I noticed that he seems to run his hands through his hair when he is nervous.

His muscles are what really surprise me. He seems to be even more muscular than Jake.

I didn't notice that we had driven in silence for nearly ten minutes. When I snuck another glance at Paul, he was looking right back at me with a smirk on his face.

"See something you like?" Paul asked.

"A lot of things," I responded, before slapping a hand over my mouth. Where did that come from? "I m-mean. I don't see anything that I li-dislike."

I covered my mouth again, this time with both hands. I was trying to tell him that I don't see anything I like, but I can't seem to lie. Get it together Swan, you're going insane.

Paul's smirk widened knowingly, causing me to narrow my eyes in response.

"Is this some wolf thing?" I questioned, keeping my face stoic even though I wanted to smile when I saw his smirk falter into a look of shock.

"Has anyone ever told you how perceptive you are?" Paul ran his hand threw his hair. Well, I just told myself.

"Frequently," I quipped. "So perceptive in fact, that I recognize that when you run your hands through your hair, you're nervous. So answer the question. Is this some wolf thing?"

Paul's head shot over to look at me again, and his hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. I have no idea how much more than thing can take between him and Jake today.

"You could say that," Paul finally answered with a loud exhale.

"Why are you avoiding the question? You said you'd answer my questions," I reminded him.

"No," Paul amended with a chuckle. "I said I'd answer whatever questions I could."

"You're infuriating, you know that?"

Paul guffawed. "So I've been told."

"Why is this coming so naturally?" I questioned, trying to get answers somewhere.

"What? Me and you?" Paul asked, waving his hand between the two of us.

"Yeah," I nodded. Where was this strong confidence and easy banter coming from? Who am I? "I don't even know who you are and I'm talking to you like I've known you all my life."

"You are…" Paul responded, before trailing off and scratching his head. He looked almost as confused as I was.

"So this isn't a wolf thing?" I asked. If it was, surely he'd know, right?

"I have no idea," He responded. "I don't know what this is." He seemed to be racking his brain for a memory or answer of some sort, and seemed frustrated when he couldn't come up with the answer he wanted.

"So Bella Swan, what's your favorite color?" Paul asked me, completely changing the subject.

"Paul, you turn into a gigantic wolf, and you want to know my favorite color?" I asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah," He said, in "duh" tone. "I know I said I'd answer whatever questions I could, but maybe it's easier if we just wait until we get back to Sam's."

"Why, because he's the Alpha?"

"How did you-?"

"Jake."

"Right," Paul nodded. "That, and he's the most eloquent out of any of us."

"Ok-ay," I responded slowly, even more confused than before. "How about this. For the last," I glanced out of the window. "Fifteen minutes of this ride, how about this. I answer a question, and then you answer a question."

Paul seemed to mull it over, and then nodded in affirmation. "If I can."

"Right, if you can," I rolled my eyes. "Green, but everyone thinks it's purple."

"Huh?" Paul asked, lost in his thoughts.

"My favorite color. It's green, but everyone thinks it's purple."

"Oh," Paul seemed to regain his train of thought. "Why does everyone think it's purple?"

"Nuh-uh, my turn," I shook my head. "Is this," I gestured between us, not being able to put it into words, "A wolf thing?"

"Partly. At least I think—honestly, I have no idea," Paul responded, with another perplexed look crossing his features.

"How do you not have any idea?" I asked frustrated. "You're the one who turns into a wolf!"

"Nuh-uh, my turn," Paul mocked me, causing me to shoot him my meanest glare, to which he responded with laughter.

"Why does everyone think your favorite color is purple?" Paul got serious again.

"I'm not really sure. I think I liked it when I was like five or something—I wore it all the time. Then I think Jake kind of thought that was my favorite color, and he's assumed so ever since. He even has Charlie convinced it's purple. Not that it really matters. It's just a color."

Why was I so openly telling him everything? I hate talking this much, especially about myself.

"It matters to me," Paul responded softly, something that I think he wasn't used to doing.

"So how do you not have any idea?" I continued our little game.

"It's just—it's different than anything I've ever known of before. There are a lot of things you need to know and need to be told, but I'm not sure where we fit into that."

I was about to ask him more questions, when I looked up and caught his gaze while we were stopped at a stop sign. I could tell he was telling the truth, and he seemed just as confused and curious as I was about what was happening.

"Favorite thing to do?" Paul tore his gaze from mine and resumed the questions and driving.

"Read," I responded softly. I knew I was a nerd.

"Cool."

"Really?" I asked.

"Is that you're question to me?"

"Is that yours?" I retorted.

We glanced at each other again before busting out into laughter. I calmed down after a minute or two, and disappointedly realized we were pulling into the parking lot for Forks Hospital Emergency Room.

I have no idea who I am right now. I haven't laughed in months; I haven't really felt anything, and all of the sudden I feel so much. I'm disappointed that I'm about to lose my one-on-one time with Paul.

The oddest part was that the thoughts of the Cullens, which should be running wild through my mind from being at Forks Hospital, were barely a blip on my radar.

"Hey," Paul's rough voice pulled me out of thoughts. "We can continue our game on the way back."

A large smile spread across my face before I could even think about stopping it. "Okay."

I opened my door with my good hand, watching the ground to make sure my feet hit it steadily. I gasped when I came in contact with Paul's hard chest.

"How did you-?"

"Wolf thing," Paul answered, helping me out of the truck.

"Can I learn about some more of those?" I asked.

"You will," Paul promised. "When we get back to Sam's."

With that, he led me through the automatic doors of the emergency room, maneuvering me toward the check-in desk.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked behind the desk, without looking up.

I simply cleared my throat, gaining her attention.

"Oh! Bella!" She exclaimed, recognition on her features.

"How's the boys?" I asked Marie.

"Oh they're wonderful dear. I'm so excited for them to start middle school next year!"

"I'll bet," I smiled. Marie was my favorite receptionist at Forks Hospital. Her daughter passed away a few years ago, and she was left to take care of her two twin boys—Brady and Collin.

I looked at Paul, and had to keep myself from laughing. He seemed an equal mix of surprised and upset that I wasn't joking about being well-known in the hospital.

"What did you do this time honey?" Marie questioned, seeing my injured hand I was holding gently against my chest.

"I punched him," I informed her, with a nod in Paul's direction.

"My, my Paul Lahote," Marie shook her head. "You probably asked for it."

"That I did Marie," Paul grumbled.

"You two know each other?" I asked, curious.

"It's a small reservation honey," Marie responded. "Everyone knows everyone else. But Paul here—he takes care of things around the house sometimes when I need it."

I was flabbergasted. Paul didn't seem like the helping kind of guy—he seemed rough-and-tough.

He met my astonished look bashfully, but I sent him a smile letting him know how pleased I was by hearing that. I don't know how I knew he needed reassurance—I just did.

"Well Bella, we'll just skip this process and get you straight back to your usual spot, okay?"

"Thanks Marie," I responded gratefully. The Advil seemed to be wearing off, even though it was supposed to last a while longer. I guess I was in more pain than I thought.

An hour later, I was walking out of Forks Hospital with a bright green cast adoring my right wrist. They were about to give me a purple one, but Paul told them to give me the green. I had to smile at his insistence. He was very vocal in the room—asking the doctors a million questions that I never would've thought to ask. When do I get it off? What if it itches? Do I need a doctor's note for school? How do I shower with it? He looked almost embarrassed to ask that last one, and I had to laugh. Paul didn't strike me as the virginal type.

He also made sure I called Charlie. I looked at him confused, not knowing why he would care or why I should bother. Paul told me that someone could easily tell the Chief of Police that I was in the hospital, and it could give him an "unnecessary heart attack". He told him I should tell him that I hurt my hand, but maybe that I should leave out that I punched him. I laughed and agreed, impressed that he had thought of it. I thought I heard him mumble, "I'd want you to call me," but I couldn't be sure.

"Can I sign it?" Paul asked softly, pulling me from my memories, while he was helping me in the truck.

I was surprised. I'd never had any of my previous casts signed before.

"Sure," I agreed. "We'll have to see if Emily has a marker."

Paul nodded, before quickly making his way to the driver's side of the truck. He quickly took off, heading back to Sam's house in La Push.

I hoped at Sam's I'd finally get some answers.

**Please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

**Also, shameless plug: If you haven't, please read my other story "Love Lockdown"! It's also a Paul/Bella, but the plot is much, much different. I will always be updating the stories at the same time—that way I can't play favorites (even though I don't have one). So if one gives me a tough time, I will use the motivation to post the other to push through!**


	5. Threats

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading the last chapter, and a special thank you to those who reviewed! Also, thanks to those who added the story as a favorite or put it on alert. It means a lot! Getting reviews make my day, and I am not going to be one of those authors who hold updating over your head if you don't review, but I'd really love to get as many as possible!**

**I apologize for the delay in updating—law is kicking my butt, but now that I have one semester of grad school under my belt, I feel it can only be downhill from here! Since I'm on break, I'm going to get as many updates out for you as possible!**

**If I don't get a chance to update before this weekend (last minute Christmas shopping for the win!) Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it, and Happy Holidays to those who don't!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of it! Anything you recognize belongs to Stephanie Meyer.**

**Bella's POV**

We arrived back at Sam's house, my truck nosily squeaking and crunching the gravel, signaling our arrival. Paul opened the door without knocking, holding it wide open for me as we walked him. He trailed close behind me, and we were surprised to see the pack already here.

"What's the verdict?" Emily asked sweetly, wiping her hands on a dish towel as she came out of the kitchen.

"Broken," Embry responded, before I could even get a word out. "She got a cast."

"How did you-?" I began to ask, before Embry cut me off.

"Wolf thing," He responded, pointing to his nose.

"Of course," I grumbled, pouting as Paul chuckled, his hand once again going to my lower back, sending a shiver down my spine. He directed me to an open couch, where plopped down.

"Why is it green?" Jake asked. "The hospital run out of purple?"

"Something like that," I mumbled, the same time Paul responded, "Because green is her favorite color."

"Paul!" I gasped, astonished. Jake didn't need to know that.

"No it's not," Jake corrected Paul. "It's purple."

"It's green," Paul retorted with mocking chuckle.

"Shut up Lahote. I'm her best friend. I know what the hell I'm talking about," Jake growled, standing up out of the recliner.

I looked around to see if anyone was going to intervene, but they were watching intently like it was a drama unfolding before their very eyes. I think they probably wished they had popped popcorn.

"Don't growl at me, Pup," Paul stood up as well, not intimidated in the slightest by Jake. "Ask her yourself."

"Bella, would you put this dumbass in his place?" Jake asked me, without tearing his intense gaze from Paul's.

"Jake-."

"Bella, tell him!" Paul left no room for argument.

"I-Wasn't I supposed to learn about all these wolf things?" I tried to change the subject, my voice faltering.

"Bella, just tell him what he needs to know," Paul all but ordered.

"I like green, and I like purple," I answered softly, casting my eyes to the ground. I don't know why I didn't want to hurt Paul, but I knew for sure I didn't want to hurt Jacob.

"Bella, why are you lying? It's not going to hurt his feelings any if you tell him your favorite fucking color, the real one," Paul seemed to be getting angry, his shape starting to blur.

"Paul, you heard her man. Lay off," Jake warned.

"I'm not going to lay off. Her favorite color is green, and you're an asshole not to know that!" Paul yelled.

Jacob had enough of, and lunged at Paul, but Sam was quick to step in. "Both of you! Take this outside! I'm not going to let you destroy Emily's living room." He spoke with the same timbre I had heard him earlier.

Paul and Jake turned and headed outside, not even sparing me a second glance.

"What!" I yelled, standing up too quickly, shutting my eyes tightly to let the dizzy feeling pass. "What are they doing? Are they going to fight again?"

"Yep," Jared said, popping the 'p'. "Embry, want to bet again?'"

I tuned out the rest of their conversation, as I headed to the window to look outside. Had it really just been a few hours earlier since the boys fought? This had to be the longest day ever.

I didn't see Jake or Paul, furry or man, so I assumed they went to the woods surrounding Sam's. I headed to the door, but Sam quickly blocked my path.

"Where do you think you're going, Bella?" He asked, peering down at me inquisitively.

"To stop them," I told him, craning my neck to meet his eyes.

"I don't think so," Sam chuckled.

"Sam, you're not my Alpha, let me leave."

"No," Sam told me. "I don't care who you are, I'm not about to let all five foot of you try to get between two volatile wolves."

"Sam-."

"Bella, go sit down," Sam crossed his arms. "Don't you have questions you want answered?"

I sighed stubbornly, glaring at him. I realized he wasn't going to move, and even if one of my hands wasn't in a cast, I still wouldn't be able to shove him out of my way.

Blowing out air in frustration, I stomped back to the couch to sit. Sam tilted his head to the side, and I thought he was going to comment on my temper tantrum, before he quickly bolted outside.

"Stay with the girls Embry! Jared, come with me!" Sam yelled in that timbre again. Jared was out of the seat before I could blink. I headed to the window, and didn't see anything but clothes littering the front lawn.

"What's going on?" I asked Embry. I had an anxious feeling, but it wasn't nerves. It was almost anticipation, and I felt like I needed to run ten miles and break something.

"It's probably best we wait for Sam to come back," Embry responded.

"Em-."

"Bella, I'm not sure what I can tell you, okay?" Embry explained. I didn't want to get him in trouble, but I wasn't happy with his response. I merely nodded, wondering when I'd finally get my answers.

"Hey Bella, I've heard about your cooking from Jake. Do you mind coming in and helping me with dinner?" Emily asked, poking her head out of the kitchen. She seemed completely calm and at ease, like her soon-to-be husband runs off like a bat out of hell every night.

"Sure," I nodded, unsure what else I could do at the moment but pout. "Not sure how good I'll be with one hand though."

"You can stir, right?" She grinned.

"Yeah, I think I can manage," I gave her a tiny smile, heading to the stove and stirring the enormous pot of sauce.

"Any idea what's going on?" I asked Emily, after a minute of silence as she flittered about preparing dinner, and I continued to stir.

"No," Emily responded. She seemed to be meticulous with her words and think things over before speaking, leading me to believe she wouldn't divulge any information either. "But the boys know what they're doing. They'll be back soon."

We continued to cook in silence for a half hour, or Emily did, as after I stirred I was rendered useless due to my injured hand. I sat on the kitchen table, not wanting to go back to the living room with Embry. I could hear him mumbling and pacing in there the past thirty minutes. It seems to have stopped now.

I had my head resting in my good hand, as my cast lay across the table. I looked down at it, bare, and was reminded Paul wanted to sign it. My feeling of anxiousness and anticipation had let up, so I was clear-headed enough for the memory to seep in.

"Hey Emily?" I broke our comfortable silence.

"Mmm?" She muttered, pulling out large pans of lasagna out of the oven.

"Do you have a marker or something that would allow people to sign my cast?" I asked.

"Oh!" Emily exclaimed. "Sure!" She reached into a nearby drawer, pulling one out.

"I want to sign!" Embry burst into the kitchen from the living room, his eager excitement bringing a smile to my face.

"Want to tell me what is going on?" I questioned, and his face fell.

"You play hardball, Bella," he commented.

I couldn't help but laugh. "It's okay Embry, you can sign it after Paul."

Embry and Emily exchanged a secretive look after I said that, and I couldn't help but add another question to my constantly-growing list.

Loud stomps were heard on the front porch, followed by the door opening and closing.

"Smells delicious honey," Sam went immediately to Emily, hugging her from behind and nuzzling her neck.

"Where's Jake?" I questioned, noticing the two big bodies following behind Sam were Jared and Paul, and not my best friend.

"Home," Sam answered, as Paul frowned.

"Why?" I asked.

"I thought it was best," Sam answered, not offering anything more.

"I should go-."

"No," Paul interrupted, his voice leaving no room for argument. "You want answers, you're getting answers."

I stayed seated, my curiosity for answers winning over my curiosity for Jake.

"And Jake shouldn't be here?" I asked, looking between Sam, Embry, Jared, and Paul.

"No," Sam responded. "It's best if he's not here right now."

"Why?" I asked again. I felt like a five-year-old, constantly questioning every answer given, until the person who answered got fed up and walked away. I really hope that doesn't happen now because I really want answers.

"Dammit, would you stop asked about Jake?" Paul roared, slamming his fist on the table.

I felt anger and rage boil throughout my body, although it felt foreign. However I couldn't help but give into it. "No! I won't stop asking about Jake. He's my best friend!"

"Paul! Enough," Sam spoke in that timbre again, and Paul immediately sat down in the kitchen chair, deflated.

I felt annoyance and submission trickle throughout my body.

"Paul," Embry spoke up from his seat next to him. He reached over to me and picked up the marker by my cast, and then handed it to Paul. "Bella wants you to sign her cast. She wouldn't let me do it until you did."

The way Embry spoke to him it was like he thought the words he was telling Paul would make him feel like a million dollars. Judging by the look on Paul's face, Embry wasn't completely off.

Paul grabbed the marker, then got up and walked over to my end of the kitchen table. Dragging the closest chair over to me, he situated himself right next to me. Our things were lightly touching, causing goose bumps to rise on my legs underneath my jeans. He uncapped the maker and took it to my cast, his hand moving rapidly, too fast for me to keep up with.

Contentment spread through me as I tried to keep up with what Paul was doing. Sensing the situation was diffused, Jared and Sam also took seats at the table, as Emily finished up the last bit of dinner.

"I think you're ready for some answers, Bella," Sam interrupted my daze.

I looked up and met his eyes, nodding once. I wasn't sure what I was about to learn, but I was ready for it.

**Please leave a review! I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

**Also, shameless plug: If you haven't, please read my other story "Love Lockdown"! It's also a Paul/Bella, but the plot is much, much different!**


End file.
